2018 Advent Sunday School Study

Transcription

1 2018 Advent Sunday School Study Saying Yes to the Journey Christian Education Ministry Brenda Faison, Director Rev. Dr. Darrell K. White, Pastor Bethlehem Baptist Church 7836 Fordson Road Alexandria (Gum Springs), VA 22306

2 Sunday, December 9, 2018 Yes Lord to Your Way Sunday, December 16, 2018 NOTES 2 15

3 Sunday, December 9, 2018 NOTES Scripture Lesson Yes Lord to Your Way Luke 1:26-38 One month later God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee 27 with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. 28 The angel greeted Mary and said, You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you. 29 Mary was confused by the angel s words and wondered what they meant. 30 Then the angel told Mary, Don t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end. 34 Mary asked the angel, How can this happen? I am not married! 35 The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God s power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. 36 Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. 37 Nothing is impossible for God! 38 Mary said, I am the Lord s servant! Let it happen as you have 14 said. And the angel left her. 3

4 Sunday, December 9, 2018 Yes Lord to Your Way Sunday, December 23, 2018 We Say Yes Together: Journeying with Community Luke 2:1-20 Lesson Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 Background Scripture: Isaiah 7:14 Lesson Focus: Our actions, decisions, and even well-being are often based on our trust in the promises made by others. On whose promises can we ultimately depend? Luke recounts the angel s announcement of the coming birth of Jesus, God s promised Savior. How does Mary demonstrate trust in this lesson? Lesson Goal: To acknowledge God s faithfulness to Mary and ultimately to all God s people. To experience the joy of worshipping Jesus as God s promised Savior. To express trust in God s promises by affirming God s will for our lives. Key Verse: Mary said, I am the Lord s servant! Let it happen as you have said. And the angel left her. (Luke 1:38 CEV) Reflect and Apply: Look for ways to better understand God through the study of the Word this Advent Season. In what ways do you hope to see God explained through Jesus this Christmas? How will your actions explain the difference Christ has made in your life? 4 13

5 Sunday, December 16, 2018 Lesson Scripture: Luke 1:39-56 Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Reflection Questions: What has God done for you recently? Where do you see reason for joy in the world? In your life? What people have been Elizabeth's for you? People you could go to in times of crisis? What did they do that helped you and allowed you to go to them? For whom have you been privileged to be an Elizabeth? A reliable friend who shared faith and encouragement on the journey? Reflect: Think of someone whose support has helped to strengthen your faith. Draft a note of thanks to that person, even if she or he is no longer living or you have lost touch. If it is possible mail or deliver the note as a gift before Christmas. Yes Lord to Your Way It s hard to imagine how frightening it must have been for a teenage Mary to see an angel and hear him speak to her. The Bible says that Gabriel appeared to her and said, Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. Don t be afraid, Mary, the angel told her, for you have found favor with God! (Luke 1:28-30). We can t help but wonder what the angel looked like and what he sounded like. As frightening as it must have been to see and hear an angel speaking to her, it must have been even more frightening for Mary to process what the angel was telling her that she was going to become pregnant, even though she had never been intimate with a man. This would be a scandal in her village. Everyone would whisper about her. She would be shunned and perhaps sent away by her finance, Joseph, because he would think she had been unfaithful to him. And yet, even though she probably had a million questions and concerns, Mary responded to the angel by welcoming whatever God wanted to do. She said, I am the Lord s servant. May everything you have said about me come true. (Luke 1:38 NKJ) In a sense she said to God, Yes to Your way. You can do anything you want with me, even though she must have known that this situation would be very hard for her, for Joseph, and for her whole family. It s easy to label what we consider good things in our lives as gifts from God and to welcome them with gratitude. But when difficult things happen, we don t look at them as part of God s plan for us. Mary s example shows us that God s gifts sometimes come in perplexing and even painful packages. Somehow, in God s hands, these become gifts of His grace toward us. Guthrie, Nancy, Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room. 12 5

6 Reflection Questions: What would have been your reaction to Gabriel s salutation in verse 28: Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you? What does Jesus name tell you about Him? How does Mary s response reveal the posture of a faithful Christian? If Jesus were to come today - to find you doing whatever you normally do - would He be pleased to welcome you into the Kingdom of God? If there are facets of your life that need improvement, what changes will you make with the help of God? Names of Christ Find the Names of Christ from the following Scriptures. Matthew 1:23 John 10:9 John 15:5 John 4:10 John 8:12 Revelation 22:16 Revelation 5:5 John 1:29 John 10:11 John 6:35 1 John 4:14-15 Yes Lord to Your Will Elizabeth like her husband Zachariah was from a priestly family. She was a descendent of the first priest Aaron. She also was part of the barren Jewish Women Club in which we find Sarah, wife of Abraham, Rebekah wife of Isaac, and Hannah mother of Samuel. An infertile woman in Biblical days was believed to be suffering under a curse from God; she was disgraced in the eyes of her community. But like those earlier women, Elizabeth received the divine blessing of motherhood, which took away the disgrace she had endured. (Luke 1:25) When Elizabeth was some six months pregnant, she was visited by her relative Mary, pregnant herself with Jesus. Elizabeth has reason for joy. But her joy is not only because of her own pregnancy. Suddenly, when Mary enters her home, Elizabeth knows that Mary is also pregnant and that she will one day call Mary s child my Lord. Though the fact is seldom noted, it seems Elizabeth is the first person to realize on her own that Mary is pregnant and the first to proclaim that Christ is about to enter the world. The others learned the news by way of an angel s visit or a dream. But Elizabeth knows from an inward witness and she boldly announces that the child will be the Messiah. She is also the first person to confirm publicly what the angel told Mary. Imagine what a relief it must have been to Mary to have Elizabeth as an encourager. Elizabeth receives Mary, not with suspicions and censure but with affirmation. Elizabeth is the only woman who is also described by Scripture as being filled with the Holy Spirit. 6 11

7 Sunday, December 16, 2018 Lesson Scripture: Luke 1:39-56 Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Sunday, December 16, 2018 Luke 1:39-56 Lesson Focus: People are always amazed and often perplexed when unexpected things happen in their lives. How should Christians handle these unanticipated events that occur? Mary responded at first with surprise and then with dedication to the angel s announcements about the birth of her baby. Elizabeth s response to Mary demonstrates God s love in flesh for one whose life has taken an unexpected turn. Lesson Goal: Reflect on the unexpected and perplexing events that have occurred in your life. To reflect on the themes of justice in Mary s song of praise. To develop new ways of praising God. Key Verse: Mary said: with all my heart, I praise the Lord, and I am glad because of God my Savior. (Luke 1:46-47 CEV) 10 7

8 Sunday, December 16, 2018 Luke 1: A short time later Mary hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea. 40 She went into Zechariah s home, where she greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary s greeting, her baby moved within her. The Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth. 42 Then in a loud voice she said to Mary: God has blessed you more than any other woman! He has also blessed the child you will have. 43 Why should the mother of my Lord come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, my baby became happy and moved within me. 45 The Lord has blessed you because you believed that he will keep his promise. 46 Mary said: With all my heart I praise the Lord, 47 and I am glad because of God my Savior. 48 God cares for me, his humble servant. From now on, all people will say God has blessed me. 49 God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and his name is holy. 50 He always shows mercy to everyone who worships him. 51 The Lord has used his powerful arm to scatter those who are proud. 52 God drags strong rulers from their thrones and puts humble people in places of power. 53 God gives the hungry good things to eat, and sends the rich away with nothing. 54 God helps his servant Israel and is always merciful to his people. 55 The Lord made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his family forever! 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then she went back home. 8 9